Often critical to health, medical “sharps” – disposable needles, syringes, and lancets – allow people to inject medications at home. Americans discard more than three billion of these materials each year, often dumping them down drains or in the trash. But medical sharps can pollute the environment and injure sanitation workers.

How can we safely manage more medical sharps to protect people and the environment? Extended producer responsibility. In France, DASTRI – the producer responsibility organization that operates sharps take-back programs – safely manages 83% of sharps waste. The programs are funded by manufacturers of sharps and medical devices, who are DASTRI members.

In the U.S., PSI has led the movement for sharps EPR since 2008, when we first convened the public and private sectors in dialogue to develop a national solution. That work, and our leadership on pharmaceuticals, laid the groundwork for medical sharps EPR programs in one state and nine local jurisdictions.

In 2016, PSI again facilitated a multi-stakeholder dialogue on sharps management, this time in conjunction with the Illinois Product Stewardship Council, to build support for a state EPR bill on medical sharps. And in 2021, we developed a step-by-step guide for municipalities to establish medical sharps collection programs.

Today, we work in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on voluntary initiatives to develop infrastructure and capacity for sharps take-back, including the report: Establishing Community Medical Sharps Programs: A Guide for Municipalities, Pharmacies, Health Clinics, and Nonprofits in Oklahoma. In 2022, we worked with DEQ and the Oklahoma Meds and Sharps Disposal Committee to design and implement a pilot program at multiple sites throughout the state.

What can you do? Tell your representatives that you support medical sharps EPR legislation. Then, learn where to safely dispose of medical sharps in your community.

If you’re a PSI Member or Partner, search our Resource Library for in-depth information on medical sharps stewardship in the United States and the around world and our Legislation Library for a detailed history of medical sharps EPR bills and laws in the U.S.